Billy Napier believes his team has benefit greatly from the SEC’s new policy on travel rosters.

This season, the SEC bumped the number of players allowed on a travel roster from 70 to 74. While that doesn’t make much of a difference on the field, Napier believes having a few extra players on the sideline helps with development for younger players.

“I do think the more players that you can keep engaged, the better, special teams is ultimately the area where it helps you the most, right,” Napier said during the SEC coaches teleconference on Wednesday. “And then young players who may be continue to develop and grow, but very rarely do those 4 that we add contribute to the game in my opinion. It’s more about the experience for some young players who in the future are going to be critical parts of your team.”

Napier also believes one of the hardest parts about being a coach every week is telling a player that they didn’t make the travel roster. In some cases, that might even push a player to transfer elsewhere. Napier believes that having those 4 extra players on the travel roster make a huge difference in the spirits of players.

“There’s always a handful of players on your team that you wish you could take,” Napier said. “That may be have been working hard, making progress, they’re developing, and it’s disappointing when they don’t make the travel roster. So I think with the portal, I think most of my counterparts in the league would agree that more players that get to travel, the better.”

Florida will get to utilize the extra space on the roster this weekend as the Gators head to Kentucky for a crucial game. After a sloppy game against Charlotte last week, Florida is looking for another signature win like it had against Tennessee.